


All in a Day's Work

by al_fletcher



Series: Garrus Vakarian: Vampire Hunter [1]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Ardat-Yakshi, C-Sec, F/M, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Pre-Mass Effect 1, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 14:30:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14696139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/al_fletcher/pseuds/al_fletcher
Summary: Garrus's first solo C-Sec investigation doesn't quite go as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the kink meme ages ago ( https://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/6870.html?thread=31063510#t31063510 ) :
> 
> "When Garrus was a young C-sec agent on the citadel, he must have had a few romances. I mentioned some possibilities in one of my other fills but don't go into detail. Gina the Ambassador’s daughter, Henla the C-Sec Lieutenant, Yorin the dancer, Vyla the Merc...
> 
> I prefer females and either humans, turians, or asari. Really want some details about Garrus' day to day life as a c-sec officer before Shepard came along."
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Clipped footsteps echoed down the steps, drawing Nelyna's attention upwards.  
  
The first thing she saw were turian spurs. They were attached to a fairly shapely pair of turian legs, dressed in C-sec attire. Before the stranger's face came into view, she gestured to the other acolytes, forming the shape of a 'C' with her hand below the table. The rest nodded, subtly tucking away anything less than totally above-board.  
  
When she turned back to the chamber's latest visitor, he'd already reached the bottom of the steps and was standing two paces from her. He was young for a C-sec officer - probably nothing higher than a junior lieutenant. Piercing blue eyes stared forward, framed by similarly shaded tribal markings.  
  
"Afternoon, madam," he introduced, "Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec. I made an enquiry?"  
  
Giving her datapad a perfunctory look, Nelyna confirmed, "Ah...yes. Looking into the rash of thefts in the chambers?"  
  
"One of the various... _symptoms_...affecting visiting businessmen and courtiers, yes. I just need to interview -"  
  
"Letheia, one of our senior... _masseuses_. I believe you made that perfectly clear during your call."  
  
Garrus nodded. "Yes. Don't worry, I won't spend too much of your precious time, madam."  
  
Barely hiding sarcasm, Nelyna drawled, "Oh, don't worry about _that_ , constable. We're only _too_ happy to help the authorities out."  
  
"Actually, that's lieute-"  
  
Before he could finish correcting her, she whistled for one of the junior acolytes - a pretty young thing, with big hazel eyes and subtly marked cheeks - to lead Garrus to the inner chambers.  
  
Couches of oligarchs with attendants draped over them passed them by as they took a left turn to a narrow hallway. Door after door zipped past them, too, before the attendant stopped in front of one door, sealed with a glowing red lock. She pressed a button, and a chime rang.  
  
A sultry voice responded to it. _"Who is it, dear?"_  
  
The attendant flushed subtly before slowly speaking into the receiver. "T-the C-sec officer, L-Letheia."  
  
A pause. Garrus's eyes flicked up and down the empty passage while the acolyte continued staring at the speaker, as though that would make it respond faster.  
  
_"Ah. Let him in, sweet one."_  
  
The central lock turned from red to green, and the door slid open. The attendant turned to Garrus and gestured into the room, before retreating to the central chamber. Garrus took one last look around before stepping in.


	2. Chapter 2

The room inside with dimly lit, a red glow emanating everywhere. Pictures of abstract, vaguely macabre scenes, along with similarly grotesque sculptures decorated the walls, and in the center was an elaborately decorated massage bed. Part of the room was hidden to him by a screen. Behind it, the silhouette of an asari dressed herself. The silhouette's head turned, and the same sultry voice wafted towards him.  
  
"Come in, Mr. Officer. Please, make yourself comfortable."  
  
Garrus looked around the room. The only seating besides the bed was a simple three-legged stool. Best to let her take that one; he'd conduct the interview standing up.   
  
Then, without warning, the screen door swung open, revealing the asari who presumably was Letheia. Compared to her, the attendant who'd let him in was little more than a girl, while she seemed like a fully... _mature_...lady. Large, sharpened, eyes, summed him up while a mouth framed by a surprisingly hard jaw curved into a half-smile.  
  
Taking the sight of rest of her in, Garrus concluded that her dress had to have been duct-taped on in places - one swerve too far and the entire ensemble would probably drop to the floor. He realised that was probably the point, of course. This was, naturally, an entirely objective summation. Garrus had never shown any particular interest in aliens up to this point.  
  
The attendant slid comfortably onto the stool, crossing her legs. She asked, "So, Mister Officer, how can I help you?"  
  
Despite his earlier musings, the way she looked up at him, the angle perfectly accentuating the rift between her breasts, was causing a sudden hot flush on the side of his neck.  
  
Rubbing it in some vain attempt to put it out, Garrus stammered, "Ah...well, I've come here to...that's to say..."  
  
Leaning back, the asari interrupted, "Darling, my grasp of monosyllables isn't quite as adept as yours."  
  
Managing to regain his composure, he said, attempting an authoritative tone, "I'm junior Lieutenant Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security. I'm here about the alleged string of robberies committed on these premises-"  
  
"And you think I have something to do with it? Is that what you're asking, lieutenant?", the asari asked, letting her tongue roll the last word out slowly.  
  
"Ah...well...the victims all claim to have last met you for...'appointments'...before finding themselves suddenly poorer and subject to bouts of memory loss, among other ailments. We're only asking around for witnesses and not suspects yet."  
  
Releasing her fingertip from her lips, Letheia responded, "Well, that certainly puts me at ease. Perhaps you could tell me their _names_ , so we could check that my clients and your victims are indeed one and the same?"  
  
Garrus brought his datapad up. "By all means."  
  
"Fire away, lieutenant," Letheia said.  
  
"Colonel Neria Havard, turian."  
  
Letheia thought for a moment. "Yes."  
  
"Ellot Kal, volus."  
  
"Check."  
  
"Chellick Garion, salarian."  
  
"Ah, I remember him. His tastes were somewhat-"  
  
"Thomas Richard Harrison, human."  
  
"Check."  
  
Garrus looked at the datapad, again. "So I have it, under word of law, that these four visitors came to your chambers for appointments."  
  
"Oh, _yes_ , lieutenant. I can still remember their faces as fresh as yesterday."  
  
"You do realise I'll now have to question you on the proceedings of each of their visits...?"  
  
Letheia had gotten up, and tried to subtly guide Garrus to the bed. "Well, then, lieutenant, why don't I just _demonstrate_? It'll be far easier and far less dry and droll than _explaining_."  
  
Garrus raised an arm to stop her. "If you don't mind, I'd rather take the dry and droll details, madam."  
  
Disappointment briefly flashed on her face, before another, inscrutable, expression replaced it.

"Well, then, officer, I believe we're at an impasse." Letheia's smooth but firm fingers stroked his neck. "How about a deal, lieutenant? I offer you a perfectly relaxing session, and you'll get what you want."  
  
He pushed himself away. "Not while I'm on duty, miss."  
  
Now he'd gotten her angry. "Do all you C-Sec types act like Junior Explorers or have I simply lucked out?"  
  
"Furthermore, aren't you offering a service that I'd normally have to _pay_ for in exchange?" Garrus asked, cocking an eye-plate.  
  
"Well, then that just goes to show you have everything to gain and nothing to lose, doesn't it?"  
  
He thought it over.  
  
She continued, "If you're so insistent on being ' _by the book_ '" - she practically spat those three words out - "you can always come down off-duty, and have a second, considerably more, shall we say 'conclusive' interview later on?"  
  
Garrus paced the room. "You promise you'll give me what I want if I agree?"  
  
"I can put _that_ on the record if you insist, lieutenant."  
  
He turned to face her. "Fine. When?"  
  
"Tonight, if you want," she smiled, "I've no clients then."  
  
After turning it over a few more times, Garrus nodded. "All right, then. I'll let you know."  
  
"You won't be disappointed," she promised, her voice trailing off behind him as he took his leave.


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the C-Sec headquarters, his partner, an asari named Matla, was waiting for him behind her desk. Matla was not a woman to be messed with. On a bad day, she could easily take a krogan rampaging in the lower wards, chew him up, and send him going with his quad tucked between his legs. This, of course, didn't reassure Garrus in the least when he realised he'd have to lie to her face.  
  
She looked up. "Vakarian. How's the case going?"  
  
"Hello, Mat. Uhh, inconclusive. I think I'll need to conduct another interview later."  
  
She crossed her hands, interlocking her fingers. "Do you need me to come down to-"  
  
"Oh, no, no. That, uh, won't be necessary. Not at all."  
  
Matla gazed at Garrus, trying to discern what he was hiding. "Are you sure? This _is_ your big case and all; not all of us walk the Presidium beat on our first posting, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine."  
  
She got up, taking him by the arm. "If you need anything-"  
  
"I said, 'I'll be fine', Mat. I'm going to sort through the old procedural files, then call it a day."  
  
He stormed off, leaving Matla behind in the office, arms crossed. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Well, it wasn't like Garrus was in C-Sec Academy any more. It was _his_ case, and he'd stand or fall on his own merits. She couldn't hold his hand - talon, whatever - forever, after all.

* * *

 Garrus couldn't focus. The the flavor of the dextro noodles in his mouth barely registered any taste, and the sounds of the world sounded like so much muffled noise. The only sounds he could recall clearly were the soft, ambient music that had been playing in _her_ room, her wonderful voice. And the sounds of both of those were enough to bring her face back to mind. Right now, seeing it again was the only thing he wanted right now.

Garrus shook his head as he snapped back to reality. No, this was about the case. The case. Four rich Presidium residents. Robbed blind. No memory of what happened after their session with Letheia. Just give her what she wants and she'll do the same. Nothing that happened tonight meant anything. Just an unorthodox way of working the case.

Before long, he found himself at the Consort's chambers again, heading down the stairs. Nelyna was still there, recognising him despite his change of attire.

"Ah, Lieutenant Vakarian. Back so soon?" she asked.

Garrus waved the question aside. "That's just 'Mr. Vakarian' now. I'm off-duty."

"I see."

"I have an appointment with Letheia."

Nelyna's brow furrowed, and she started her console up. "That's odd, I don't have-"

"No, no. She said she'd be free tonight. You go call her."

Shaking her head, she pressed a button under the table. "Letheia, this is Nelyna."

_"Yes, darling?"_

"I have the C-Sec officer from before, claiming-"

_"Ooh, yes. I nearly forgot. Be a dear and send him here."_

Peeved, Nelyna pushed the issue. "He _doesn't_ have an appointment tonight, Letheia."

_"And I don't have any either, Nelyna. What's the issue?"_

"What's the issue?? We have a _system_ here, Letheia. You can't just - how about _payment_? The accountants are all over us as we stand."

The boredom in Letheia's voice was almost palpable. _"This is a_ _favor , dear. Just let him in and I'll explain everything to Sha'ira._

"This is on your head," Nelyna finished, before furiously ending the conversation with a tap of the screen. She turned to him. "I believe you know the way, Mr. Vakarian."

Garrus nodded, and he walked in a stupor through the atrium, then to that passageway to the left, counting the doors to _her_ chamber. After an agonizing amount of time, he was finally there. He practically _punched_ the door chime, but even before it had finished ringing, the door to her chamber opened.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut.
> 
> Warning for non/dub-con.

He stood dumbfounded in the doorway, taking in the sight. The room was still laid out in the same way, but there now was this scent, this _musk_ that pervaded everything, drawing him in. The music pounded deep beats in his head, drowning thought out even further. Letheia was seated on the bed, her back to him. Somewhere behind him, the door clicked shut. This apparently made her aware of his presence, and she slowly turned to face him.  
  
She was dressed in even less than this afternoon. Strings and pads of cloth barely hid what little modesty she had left. As she stood to greet him, his gaze drifted downwards, between her breasts, past her navel, right down to her azure, guarded by a tiny strip of fabric. This was crazy. He wasn't even into aliens, but he found himself irresistibly drawn to her form.  
  
Something in the pit of his stomach welled up: apprehension, some other kind of instinct. But it was getting more and more difficult to focus. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her lips parted.  
  
"Mr. Vakarian. Please. Put your personal effects over there, and strip down behind the screen."  
  
Garrus stood stunned for a few moments before complying, carefully depositing his omni-tool and chits on the right of the bed, where he could see them even when lying down. After that, he passed by Letheia, closing the screen door behind him. His casual clothes came off easily, and he left them on the hangers provided, leaving him in his underclothes.  
  
When he emerged, she gazed disapprovingly at them, saying, "Those come off too, Mr. Vakarian."  
  
"If it's all the same-"  
  
"It is _not_ all the same. Besides, your... _dignity_...will be protected well enough by your plates. Isn't that right?"  
  
With a murmur of dissent, Garrus turned back to the screen and cast his underwear off, leaving it to join the rest of his clothes. As he exited again, he felt utterly vulnerable under the attendant's gaze. He tried not to show it as she gestured to the bed.  
  
"Supine, please," she gently ordered.  
  
He complied, lying on his back. From his view, he was able to glimpse her applying oil to her hands as she started on his feet. Although the turian body was said to be nothing but plates and angles, he felt the firm pressure she applied to them slowly soften them, molding his limbs under her hands.  
  
Her thumbs and fingers crawled up his shins, gently cupping his spurs, briefly teasing near his inner thighs before moving up his sides, working his arms from his shoulders down to the tips of his talons, then down the other side. He felt his stiff muscles turning into putty under her hands.  
  
"Turn over," she whispered.  
  
With a grunt of exertion, he flipped himself over, searching for his belongings with his right hand. Still there. Good. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her hands glow blue, and pleasure coursed through his body as they hovered over his back. Stress and tension seemed to melt into the void as she continued.

His breath caught in his throat as her hands moved to his rump, gently teasing at the plates in the front. Somewhere far away, her voice echoed, _"Do you want the full treatment?"_  
  
Every muscle in his body was far too relaxed for him to object, and he nodded weakly. She used her biotics to gently coax them open, and his penis emerged from between his plates. One of her soft but strong hands gently caressed it as the other continued to work on his back. Grunts and groans of arousal dragged through his throat as she continued her ministrations.  
  
"So, Mr. Officer, do you want to know what happened to those poor, poor rich toys?"  
  
Garrus blinked. Her tone had changed. Not for the better. He tried to get up, but found himself pushed to the bed.  
  
 _"I robbed them blind."_  
  
And then he found his back arcing, almost to an unnatural degree. Claws jutted out of his hands, ripping the cushioning to ribbons - to no avail.  
  
 _"I dug into their heads and got them to reveal everything they knew. Bank accounts, other holdings...you get the idea."_  
  
Her hand had moved to the back of his head, gripping it by the nape.  
  
 _"And I wiped their memories of their little visits clean, planting in a few choice details too. But I think I'll do something_ special _for you. After all, I seem to have gotten a little too much_ official _attention."_  
  
Garrus struggled in vain. Letheia's eyes had glazed over in black, and he felt her mind trying to penetrate his.  
  
 _"Now let me in or I snap your back in two."_  
  
He tried to block the other consciousness out, trying to fill his thoughts with something else. Solona. Mom. Dad. C-Sec lectures. Matla. It wasn't working. The pain in his spine was too much. His mind started to flood.  
  
 _" **Embrance eternity.** "_  
  
And he was lost.


	5. Chapter 5

The next news about him that Matla had heard about him was when she was alerted to a public disturbance on the Presidium, with some turian swimming naked in the lake - or at least attempting to. They'd pulled him out and pumped the water out of his lungs good, and just needed a cop to come to come along and book him for disorderliness.  
  
What should've been a simple arrest and detention got a hundred times more complicated when she _recognised_ said turian, of course.  
  
Leaning in, she whispered harshly, " _Garrus??_ Are you okay? What happened to you?"  
  
He slowly turned his head, degree by degree. His eyes seemed swallowed by bottomless pits. Finally, the words came tumbling out, like those of a hapless sailor thrown up on a distant shore.  
  
_"I don't know."_  
  
Garrus shivered and shuddered violently, and Matla wasn't sure if it was because of the cold. She pressed the issue.  
  
"Were you drinking? Where are all your _clothes_ , Garrus?"  
  
"I don't know _I don't know **Idon'tknow**_ ", he spat, starting to stutter, rocking back and forth on his heels.  
  
Matla grabbed him by the shoulders, turning his torso towards her.  
  
"Damit, Garrus, _listen to me!_ Focus on my voice. You're fine. Everything's fine. Now, focus."  
  
He slowly stopped shaking on the spot, muttering to the ground.  
  
"I don't know. I try to recall but it's a big blank after I enter the Consort's chambers."  
  
"You came to HQ and we talked, Garrus. Can you recall that?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, not that time. I went later."  
  
" _Another_ time?"  
  
Garrus glanced to the side. "This is going to take some explaining."

* * *

Back in C-Sec headquarters, Matla sat opposite Garrus in one of the many interrogation rooms, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"So, she promised you _sex_ and she'd spill the beans."  
  
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well, a massage."  
  
"And you _accepted._ "  
  
Garrus defensively turned his palms to face the sky, saying, "It seemed like a good idea at the time! I reckoned if things got bad I could defend myself anyway."  
  
Matla's gaze narrowed. "Evidently, something _did_ go wrong."  
  
He closed his eyes, trying to remember. "I went to the chambers. I went to her room. Then... _I can't...I..._ "  
  
Matla reached across the table, and took him by the arm. "Garrus. Whatever happened in there must have been important enough for someone to withhold from you." She looked him straight in the eyes. "...I need to see what happened."  
  
"But..."  
  
She sighed a long drawn sigh. "We need to meld."  
  
Garrus blinked in a stupor. "But won't you..."  
  
"Not if we do this carefully. Just sit back and relax."  
  
He nodded weakly. She stood up and walked to the back of his chair, and moved to lightly grip the sides of his head, muttering an ancient asari mantra. Only the last two words came out in common galactic language.  
  
_"മ്മ്യ് മിന്ദ് റ്റൊ യൌര് മിന്ദ്... മ്യ് തൌഘ്റ്റ്സ് റ്റൊ യൌര് തൌഘ്റ്റ്സ്..._ **Embrace eternity**!"  
  
Pain. Tearing through every fiber. Lying down prone. Room. Massage. Letheia. Chambers. Intoxication. Pain. Infatuation. Pleasure. Ingratiation. Pain. Pleasure. It hurts. It feels good. It is excruciating. It is rapturous. It-  
  
With a scream of agony, Matla pulled her hands away from Garrus's temples, as if they had been stuck on a hot oven. Garrus slumped forward onto the table, clutching his temples. She slowly placed her open palm on his shoulder reassuringly.  
  
"It's all right, Garrus. I know what happened. I can-"  
  
He shook his head. "Leave me alone."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end!
> 
> For now.

The next Letheia heard from him, it was a missed call from an unknown number on her omnitool. She played the voice message as she set the room to rights.  
  
_"This is Garrus Vakarian. The C-Sec guy. I got this number from Nelyna. We need to meet. Again. I can't get you out of my head. I need to see your face again. If here isn't good, we can meet at my place. Just respond. Please."_  
  
She let her lips curl into a mirthless grin as she typed out a response. Of course she could meet him again. Of course she'd be free. And once they met, she'd drain him of whatever he'd had left, and quit town. One last snack before she left for...well, wherever next. Maybe Bekenstein. Lots of rich fools there. Oh yes, it'd be fun.

The door chime rang. Garrus looked up from the two glasses of chiral-neutral wine he'd poured out, glancing to the side.  
  
"Come...come in."  
  
It slid open, revealing Letheia in a casual dress. Somehow, it made her look even more alluring than her barely-outfit of the night before. Garrus felt the words choking in his throat again.  
  
"Hello, Garrus. Or is it Lieutenant again?"  
  
"Just...just Garrus."  
  
She sidled beside him, placing her bag on the side table. "Well, then, just Garrus, are we alone?", she asked, nudging him by the knee.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well, then, let's make the most of our time, shall we?" she said, drawing him in for a passionate embrace. Garrus reciprocated it, but not before making a gesture behind her back.  
  
Then, a door opened, and Matla strode out, an Edge III pistol at the ready, her other hand flashing a warrant. Letheia withdrew, her eyes gleaming with unrestrained malice.  
  
"What is this, Garrus?"  
  
Matla factually stated, "This is an arrest, Letheia. Or maybe I should call you Mirala. Or Deliha. Or Ridiana. Or _Morinth_. It's over, _Ardat-Yakshi_."  
  
Letheia stood up, hands curled into fists. "Arrogant little mongrel bitch-"  
  
"That's far enough, Ardat-Yakshi. Hands open and where I can see them."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
Faster than either of them could react, she had Garrus by the head, hands firmly gripping his mandibles.  
  
"Damned mongrel. You know the word, but you clearly don't know what I'm capable of. Even move one _muscle_ wrong, and I'll fry your partner's brains like an egg."  
  
Matla challenged, "Just try."  
  
Letheia let loose a joyless laugh. " _Just try?!_ Remember, turian quim, _she_ said to 'just try'. _Embrace eterni_ -"  
  
**_MERI HAD A PET POD CRAB  
PET POD CRAB  
PET POD CRAB  
MERI HAD A PET POD CRAB  
WHOSE SHELL WAS HARD AS ROCK_**  
  
"What-", Letheia spluttered, "- _what is this?!_ "  
  
**_AND EVERYWHERE THAT MERI WENT  
MERI WENT  
MERI WENT  
EVERYWHERE THAT MERI WENT  
IT WAS SURE TO WALK_**  
  
" _Nursery rhymes?_ You think implanting _nursery rhymes_ in his head will save him?! You're clever, little one, but you've got much more to learn."  
  
"Release him. Now," Matla ordered.

  
"Garrus, be a dear. Open my purse. There's a gun in there."  
  
Garrus nodded, reaching for it.  
  
  
Matla yelled, "Dammit, Garrus, _focus_! Clear your head."  
  
He ignored her, picking it up.  
  
  
Letheia smiled. "That's a good boy. Now, shove the barrel into your mouth."  
  
"Garrus, don't!"  
  
  
He complied.  
  
"Now, I'm going to count down from 5. When I hit 0, pull the trigger. Decorate the roof of your drab apartment with your own brains. Can you do that?"

He nodded, gun in mouth.  
  
"Good boy. _Five._ "

  
Matla shouted, "Dammit, what are you _doing_?"  
  
"Drop the gun and leave, or I'll finish. _Four_."

  
  
"You've made one mistake, Ardat-Yakshi."  
  
Bemusedly, Letheia enquired, "And what's that, C-Sec? _Three_."

  
  
"The moment he pulls that trigger, I'm going to peg you between the eyes."  
  
" _Really_ , now? Losing a partner might reflect... _poorly_...on your report, Detective. Oh, and _Two_."

  
  
"Dammit, Garrus, _snap out of it_!"  
  
He winked at her subtly. Matla gazed, unsure what his intent was.

  
  
" _One_ , detective. _Your move_."  
  
Her finger tightened around the trigger. Letheia's smirk spread across her face.  
  
  
She dragged the word out luxuriantly. _"Zero."_  
  
" _NO!_ ", Matla screamed.

 

As fast as lightning, Garrus yanked the pistol out from his mouth, firing blind over his shoulder. Unfortunately for him, Letheia's barriers were up, and the shot barely grazed her forehead. Snarling, she leapt in the air, releasing a great biotic wave. The windows of Garrus's apartment shattered into uncountable pieces. Rallying quickly, he and Matla fired several shots, but Letheia was too ready for them.  
  
She moved to the window. "This has been fun, dear ones, but even I know when to quit. Goodbye."  
  
With a single step back, she fell. Garrus and Matla dashed to the windowsill. Somewhere far below, a skycar felt a sudden impact, and the driver found himself thrown from his seat. Far above, Matla cursed and punched the broken window.  
  
  
" _Dammit_!", she shouted, reaching for her omnitool. "Detective Matla to all units. We have an Ardat-Yakshi on the loose. Transmitting her facial features to HQ now. Cover all docking stations and rapid transits. Detective Matla out."  
  
She turned around to find Garrus. "Come on, we have to-"  
  
  
Garrus was sitting on his sofa, clutching his head, the gun on his lap.  
  
  
"Hey, are you all right?"

  
He shook his head. "Head feels like it's being pulled in a thousand directions. But I'm finally free. You go after her. I need to...I need to rest."  
  
She put the pistol to one side. "It's okay. The rest can handle it. It can't have been easy fighting her control. I'm here for you."  
  
  
Nodding, he leant against her shoulder, letting the pain pass. Silence reigned in the apartment.

  
Finally, he drawled, "You think the department'll pay for my windows?"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Matla said, "Oh, you're fine. Let's go."  
  
  
With that, they were gone, off in pursuit of their quarry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the plot device of implanting nursery rhymes in someone's head to protect them from psychic domination sounds like it was ripped off from somewhere, that's because it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtjRFrfj6Q
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! It's not over between Garrus and Morinth yet, though...


End file.
